Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Not starting Saturday
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Kiner-Falefa is not in Pittsburgh's starting lineup against Cleveland on Saturday.
Kiner-Falefa has recorded at least one hit in five of his last six games, going 6-for-20 with one stolen base, two runs scored and one RBI over that span. He'll be in the dugout for the beginning of Saturday's game while Jared Triolo starts at shortstop and bats seventh against Guardians right-hander Ben Lively.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Production slowing
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Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-4 with a run scored Wednesday against the Nationals.
Kiner-Falefa has struggled at the plate after a relatively hot start to the year, as he has just four hits across his last 25 at-bats (eight games) after Wednesday's multi-hit effort. He's also slowed on the basepaths, failing to tally a stolen base since March 31 while being caught on his last two attempts.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Getting afternoon off
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
Manager Derek Shelton will give Kiner-Falefa a breather as the Pirates wrap up their series with the Cardinals with a day game after a night game. The recently promoted Tsung-Che Cheng will make his MLB debut Wednesday, starting at shortstop in Kiner-Falefa's stead and batting ninth.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Late add to lineup
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Kiner-Falefa will start at shortstop and bat ninth Sunday against the Yankees after Jared Triolo (undisclosed) was scratched, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Kiner-Falefa was poised to receive his first day off this season but will instead take his usual post at shortstop. He's batting .321 (9-for-28) with no extra-base hits and four steals in 33 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Receiving first day off
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Kiner-Falefa is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Kiner-Falefa will get his first day off this season after slashing .321/.424/.321 with four stolen bases, three runs and an RBI through Pittsburgh's first nine games. Jared Triolo will fill in for Kiner-Falefa at shortstop and as the Pirates' No. 9 hitter.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Aggressive on basepaths early
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Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-3 with two walks and two stolen bases Saturday against the Marlins.
Kiner-Falefa was expected to lead off for a significant portion of spring, but he's instead hit ninth in all three of Pittsburgh's games. He's still found a way to be productive and has benefited from the team's aggressiveness on the basepaths by swiping three bases on three tries. Kiner-Falefa is likely to provide little other production, but he could be a streaming option for stolen bases.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Expected to be primary shortstop
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Kiner-Falefa has started nine games at shortstop during spring training and is projected to begin the season as the Pirates' primary starter at the position, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Kiner-Falefa has served as a utility player for much of his career, though 28 of his 50 appearances came at shortstop after being acquired by the Pirates. He struggled to a .587 OPS across 215 plate appearances in Pittsburgh, so there's no guarantee he'll maintain that playing time throughout the 2025 campaign. Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero are both capable at the position defensively and have made appearances at shortstop this spring.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is absent from Sunday's lineup against the Yankees.
Jared Triolo will start at third base and bat sixth in Pittsburgh's regular-season finale. As a member of the Pirates this season, Kiner-Falefa slashed .240/.265/.322 with eight stolen bases, one home run and 10 RBI across 215 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: On bench Sunday
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Nick Gonzales will take over at shortstop and atop the batting order against right-hander Hunter Greene. Kiner-Falefa occupies those spots most days, and he's provided a .286 average this month as the Pirates' primary leadoff hitter, though it's been a rather empty batting average (five doubles, no homers, three RBI in his last 19 games).
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Taking seat Tuesday
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in St. Louis.
Kiner-Falefa had been at shortstop and leading off for the Pirates' last six contests, but he will begin Tuesday's game on the bench. Nick Gonzales is getting a start at shortstop and will also be at the top of the batting order.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Tallies three hits
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Kiner-Falefa went 3-for-5 with an RBI single and two runs during Sunday's 4-3 win over the Royals.
Kiner-Falefa participated in three of the Pirates' four runs Sunday, notching his seventh game this season with at least three hits. The utility player has one homer, six stolen bases and a pair of triples in 39 games with the Pirates. He's 11-for-32 (.296) during his last seven games.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Not starting Monday
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Kiner-Falefa is absent from Monday's lineup against the Marlins.
Kiner-Falefa will hit the bench after he started each of the Pirates' last four games against the Nationals, going 5-for-18 with four runs scored and two RBI. Alika Williams gets the start at shortstop and bats ninth in Kiner-Falefa's stead.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Out of Pittsburgh lineup
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Kiner-Falefa is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Cubs.
Alika Williams will start at shortstop and bat ninth, while Nick Gonzales will be elevated to the leadoff spot. Kiner-Falefa is slashing only .223/.263/.321 since joining the Pirates, but this is his first day off since he arrived in Pittsburgh.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Swipes two bags in win
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Kiner-Falefa went 1-for-5 with two stolen bases in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Guardians.
IKF took full advantage of his one trip on the basepaths, swiping second and third base after a ninth-inning single. Kiner-Falefa has taken over at shortstop and as the leadoff hitter for Pittsburgh and has six steals in 26 games, but he hasn't provided much production otherwise since joining the team at the trade deadline, slashing just .220/.254/.321 with one homer, seven RBI and 11 runs.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Taking over as everyday shortstop
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Manager Derek Shelton said Monday that Kiner-Falefa will serve as the Pirates' primary shortstop for the rest of the season, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
With Oneil Cruz having struggled defensively at shortstop in 2024 after a fractured ankle cut his 2023 season short, the Pirates are planning to transition him to center field over the final month of the campaign. Cruz's move to the outfield keeps an everyday spot in the infield available for Kiner-Falefa, who might have otherwise been at risk of moving into a utility role when Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) returned from the injured list at some point in September. As a member of the Yankees in 2023, Kiner-Falefa made just one start at shortstop, but he should carry eligibility at the position in fantasy leagues in 2025 after having already made 16 starts at shortstop this season prior to Shelton's announcement Monday.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Collects three hits
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Kiner-Falefa went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored Sunday against the Reds.
Kiner-Falefa broke out of a quiet seven-game stretch, during which he went only 2-for-27 with a 25 percent strikeout rate. Nevertheless, he remains Pittsburgh's leadoff hitter with Andrew McCutchen (knee) sidelined and has eight runs scored and six RBI across 21 starts since joining the Pirates at the trade deadline.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Three hits, homer in win
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Kiner-Falefa went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Mariners.
Kiner-Falefa put the Pirates on top early with a leadoff homer and later added two singles for his first three-hit effort with his new club. The 29-year-old has tallied multiple hits in five of his past 10 games with a home run and three steals. On the season, he is batting .293 with eight long balls, 38 RBI, 37 runs scored and six stolen bases across 361 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: First hits with Pittsburgh
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Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-5 with a double, a triple, two RBI and a run scored Sunday against the Diamondbacks.
Kiner-Falefa made his team debut Saturday and went hitless, though he turned things around as a key contributor out of the leadoff spot Sunday. He replaced Andrew McCutchen (quadriceps) atop the order, though Kiner-Falefa looks more likely to settle into the middle of the order as he hit sixth in his team debut and McCutchen does not look likely to miss extended time.
Kiner-Falefa (knee) will report to Double-A Altoona on Friday to begin a rehab assignment, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The 29-year-old made two rehab appearances last weekend before being acquired by the Pirates from the Blue Jays, and he'll continue the assignment with his new organization. Kiner-Falefa has been sidelined about a month by a left knee sprain, so he shouldn't require a lengthy stay in the minors and could join Pittsburgh early next week.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Shipped to Pittsburgh
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The Pirates acquired Kiner-Falefa (knee) from the Blue Jays on Tuesday in exchange for infielder/outfielder Charles McAdoo, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Kiner-Falefa is currently on the injured list due to a left knee sprain, though he played in two rehab games over the weekend and should soon be ready to be reinstated. The utility man is in the midst of the most productive campaign of his MLB career with seven home runs and a .292/.338/.420 slash line through 82 games. He should see significant action at second base since Nick Gonzales (groin) is facing an extended absence, but Kiner-Falefa could also log starts at the hot corner, given Ke'Bryan Hayes' weak .591 OPS this season.
